This year’s Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra in Queensland was one for the history books, attracting an all-star line-up of endurance legends including Phil Gore, Sam Harvey, Harvey Lewis and Merijn Geerts.
With over 100 runners taking on the brutal Backyard format, the event saw two new world records, including the most runners (87) completing 24 hours of continuous loops, and an extraordinary 119-lap performance by Phil Gore, the longest distance ever run at a Backyard Ultra.
CurraNZ-powered Sam Harvey was right beside him, once again playing the all-important ‘assist’ to help set the new global benchmark. Sam ran an incredible 790km over 118 loops, surpassing his previous best by an astounding 114km.
Also flying the CurraNZ flag was New Zealand ultra-runner Simon Mclean (left), fresh off his appearance at the 2024 World Satellite Championships, where he helped Team New Zealand earn sixth in the world. At Dead Cow Gully, Simon delivered a personal best of 65 loops (435km), finishing as the 4th-equal top runner in the NZ team.
Reflecting on his best-ever performance, Simon shared the emotional and mental challenges of preparing for such an event:
“As I stood on the start line surrounded by some of the best Backyard Ultra-runners in the world, I couldn't help but feel a huge amount of imposter syndrome. What does this full-time dad, part-time ultra-runner have to offer this event? But then I reminded myself, there is only one me, and the world’s watching. Time to make it count.”
Endurance events like Dead Cow Gully are as much mental as they are physical. Simon credits CurraNZ as a vital part of his race and training strategy.
“The deeper you get in the mighty Dead Cow Gully, the more obsolete your training becomes and more critical the plan and focus must take over. This is where CurraNZ comes in. From hot days to long nights, unexpected outcomes and sleep-deprived laps, CurraNZ helps my body stay focused and keep going. I couldn’t imagine training or racing without it.”
Simon added 25 laps (167.5km) to last year’s performance - a massive leap forward. While he didn’t walk away as the last man standing, he did earn a shot at the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships, a renewed understanding of his capabilities, and the pride of showing his family what’s possible when you push beyond perceived limits.
“Thank you, CurraNZ, for being on my team and keeping my body moving for 90 hours and 603kms!”
The last CurraNZ athlete (we know of) who threw down at DCG was Katie Dall, from Brisbane (pictured below, bottom left), who led a group of runners from her KT Run Club. Many of her members hit their goals and set new PBs - with some doubling their previous bests.
24 hours. Unfortunately, the day didn’t quite go to plan, with some gut issues creeping in and forcing me to time out on lap 21 (140km). My accidental purchase of Coke Zero instead of full-sugar Coke wasn’t ideal - those artificial sweeteners are definitely not gut-friendly mid-ultra!Congratulations to all involved and a special shout out for Simon for pushing his limits and adding a whopping 25 laps to run his best-ever Backyard Ultra – that’s an extra 167.5km’s on top of last year’s effort. The mind truly boggles at what the human body is capable of doing - as exemplified in this latest edition of Dead Cow Gully.